Budleigh were strengthened by the returning Josh Sale and new signing Aiden Martin from neighbours Budleigh Salterton and it was also good to see the return of Tim Whiteoak and Darren Dawes.

In what was an eventful game Budleigh deserved their win despite an inept performance from the referee.

It took Budleigh a while to settle. The visitors headed just wide early on before Budleigh came to life midway through the half when Sale’s free-kick was parried for a corner and, from the set-piece Whiteoak volleyed back across goal, only for the visitors to scramble the ball away.

Five minutes later controversy reigned! Deep in their own half Budleigh were awarded a free-kick for dangerous play and keeper Rob Dance sent the ball into the opposing box. The ball bounced over the keeper and into the net. But Budleigh’s joy was short-lived as the referee said he had given an indirect kick, but a direct free-kick should have been the call!

In the 33rd minute Budleigh did take the lead when the impressive Sale sent over a deep ball from wide on the right and the clearing the away stopper dropped into the far corner of the net.

Both sides took a deep breath at the interval and it was a rejuvenated Ammies that began the second half better; Dance saved well from their clearest opportunity, but with Whiteoak and captain Phil Page assisted by Matt Jones and Alex Manning Budleigh defended well.

In the centre Sale was always looking for that killer pass and with Mike White and Dan Reynolds doing a lot of hard graft Budleigh always looked capable of a second.

Martin set up Dan Atkinson who hit the side netting, whilst another hard worker Josh Whiller saw his drilled centre just fail to get a finishing touch.

Dawes, Rich Pratt and Jack Howarth all joined the action from the bench and it was the latter who wrapped up the points. Sale it was who claimed an assist to set up Howarth who fired his shot past the keeper to seal the points.

There were a number of good performances, but it was Whiteoak who took the Man of the Match award.

Other Sport Stories

As the saying goes, all good things come to an end, and so it proved last night at the Oak Tree Arena, as ‘Cases’ Somerset Rebels unbeaten home run came to an end with a shock defeat at the hands of local rivals the Plymouth Devils, writes Dave Thompson.